If tomorrow never comes
by EvaTheNymphe
Summary: A girl gets sent into Septimus Heap's world.As things start to get serious,she must decide if she wants to face her fears or run away from them.
1. Begin The Begin

Many people think life is like a game . You don't have a choice , you have to play it , and once you get the hang of it , you become addicted to winning this game . This becomes your supreme goal , and nothing stays between you and your victory but yourself .

My game started out in a fairly ordinary way . Y'know , play with toys , argue with my siblings over silly things , pretending to go to sleep early only to jump out of bed when my mom left to play games with my brothers ... But I never thought that my game would change so drastically in only one day . That one day , when I decided to prove to my oldest brother that I was the bravest and went in that supposedly " haunted house " . Then it happened ...

From that day on ... I never got to be a normal child again . Funny thing , before it happened , I thought that if it ever did , that would be like , the coolest thing ever . But , of course , I was dead wrong . No pun intended . So , here was I , walking into that house , trying to look brave , when the .. event occured . I won't get into details yet , but just wait . You'll eventually find out what happened exactly . The thing who changed my destiny is named in various ways , but the most popular is vampire . Sometimes ,it is thought to be an interesting creature , but the truth is that once you become one ,your soul is forever immerged into the darkness ,a darkness you can't ever escape .It chokes your very being , and you struggle , but that's all you can do .

Then , of course , my family found me laying on the wooden floor , and they thought I was bitten by rats or something . Back then , I was squirming in pain , so I don't exactly remember what happened , but a few days later (or maybe weeks ) , I woke up in a hospital bed with my mother checking my pulse . Then I found out that I kept having seizures , fevers and passing out every two hours : the official story was that I caught an ilness from that house , but the truth is that it was then when I had " the change ".

From then on , my life has never been ordinary , with midnight hunts and resistance training , combined with my efforts to keep the secret from everyone , including my family . Over time , I learnt to get used to this , to this fast forward growing up . Yes , vampires grow up , but they get stuck to the age that their creator had when they got changed . Therefore , not many things surprise me anymore .

This morning , however , I just felt that something very strange was going to happen .

The day started out pretty normal . I was planning to spend it in the theatre where I was training to be a ballet dancer , practicing for a show which was due in a few days . I wasn't alone : a few more dancers where practicing with me and , of course , the instructor was supervising us . Even though we were spending a lot of time togheter , I wasn't friends with any of the dancers , but my best friend , Lucy . All the other dancers were shallow and plain nasty in my opinion , always hunting the main role in every show , but of course , while showing only their good face in front of the teachers and their colleagues . Life as a ballerina was hard , but fulfilling . I tell you , nothing gets me high like that moment when I get picked to dance the main role . This time , I wasn't chosen , but still , I loved ballet and of course , getting the dance to be perfect .

I was just finishing the last moves of my long and complicated part and I was thinking of going with Lucy in my powder room ( there was one for each ballerina , a small room with costumes , make up and stuff for the show , but Lucy and I chose to share one ) and hang out togheter for a while .

„ Hey " I whispered to her . " Let's take a break and go to hang out in my powder room for a while "

„ Sure , just let me go and grab a drink , I 'm kinda thirsty . Hart has been working us like dogs . "

„ I couldn't agree more " I laughed . " I'll be waiting for you in there "

„ Okay . " she replied .

The Dark Rose theatre was the most beautiful building I ever saw . It had an antique touch in everything , trying to copy the one that used to be located near this one , but was burned down a few centuries ago . The only modern things were the security cameras , the kitchen and the bathrooms , but all the rest stayed like the original . It was surrounded by a grey fence and it had a big , black iron gate . On top of it was the name of the theatre , with a dark red , nearly-wilted rose sculpted above . Near the gate was a ticket booth . When you enter the gates , the magic just begins . I always imagine myself as Alice when she entered Wonderland for the first time . You may think it's silly , but I like to give in to my imagination . It starts with a black and white marble floor and a beautiful fountain , which has nymphs sculpted to look like they're bathing , not even glancing in your direction , but making you feel like you're taking part in a very special moment . Then you pass through the iron doors and the elegant entrance greets you . Right in front , there is a red curtained arch which leads to the ballet shows , and near it there are two staircases ; on top there are two doors , one leading to the powder rooms and the plays , and the other which leads to the directors office and the illusion shows . On both sides , there are the statues of the best ballet dancers that worked here in the past . The theatre is very big : I think I can write several pages just to describe it , but I won't waste any more time . People like to come to see the representations here , because they are very ,very good , but they also like to see the beauty of the theatre's architecture .

The powder room that Lucy and I share is quite elegant : there is a large metal table with mirrors and make up , near it is a dressed mannequin with a dance mask . There are some closets full of outfits , a very large mirror , two padded chairs and a padded sofa . Near it is a wooden end table with a golden peacock on it . I quietly sat on the sofa,looking outside the window . It was a rainy day , and the coldness was creeping in the room . I closed the large window and started to play with the peacock . Sometimes , I think about how lucky I am to dance in such an awesome place , instead of the town's local ballet club .I guess you noticed that only the best ballerinas get to join this theatre .

After a while , I was getting bored . Random thoughts passed through my head : I was just wondering if I should call my brother to pick me up , or should I walk home , pretending I'm dancing in the rain , with my sky blue raincoat on and my blonde curls flying in every direction ... Oh , I forgot , Stephen is busy today , he's at the gym club or something , but maybe Lucas is free today ... my eldest brother , very introverted , but the smartest of all of us ... even Irene , my older sister admitted that , and she's like , the proudest person I know .

Just as I was thinking of my siblings , the wind started to blow strongly , making me snap out of my reverie : wait , didn't I just close the window ? I lifted myself off the sofa and began trying to close the windows back . But the curtains began to envelop me in a darkness I didn't like and I jumped back ,frowning . Shockingly ,I saw that I couldn't see a thing outside the window . There was a blank whiteness outside , like I was in a drawing and the artist forgot to draw the landscape outside . I approached the window reluctantly and stuck my hand out , to see if all of this was real or just a hallucination . Quick as a snake , the whiteness embraced me and my surroundings began to fade . Then I passed out .


	2. The Girl With No Name

Darkness . It surrounded me , embracing my being and swallowing it , sending it in a void , where I couldn't breathe , see , move or hear anything . I thought I was dying ; or , if I wasn't , then I would soon be , because there was no oxygen . My lungs felt like they were on fire : if I wouldn't escape this state I would suffocate . The pain began to increase , and soon it became unbearable : what was happening to me ?! My whole body began to ache , and it felt like it was going to swell and explode . Against my will , I began to panic . I stood there in excruciating pain for what seemed to me an eternity and then a miracle happened : the pain began to subside and I saw a small light in front of me . Just as I was thinking what was it supposed to mean , I lost my consciousness again.

After what seemed to me like ages (really , I could've went from fourteen years old to a century , or even more) , I began to see some lights . Everything was blurry at first , like somebody hit me in the head with a bat , and then I began to see my surroundings too clear for my taste . They weren't what I expected : instead of the pristine , elegant powder room , I was in some sort of an dark , deserted alley and it was a damp , dirty one . I tried to stand up , but my legs wouldn't listen to me . As I was thinking , exasperated , that I would spend the rest of my life just lying on the cold , muddy ground , a bug crawled by me and I was up in a fraction of a second . Bugs weren't exactly my cup of tea . My surroundings became even more clear : I was in what seemed to me like a town of some sorts . It had some specific elements of a village , but there was a palace in front of me and a very big tower on the other side . Just as I was looking at the tower , I realized that it looked very strange : it was like nothing I had ever saw : it was crowned by a golden pyramid and it shone a brilliant silver in the spring ( I couldn't help but wonder if it was still spring ) sunlight, so bright, that it hurt my sensitive eyes, and the purple glass in its hundreds of tiny windows glittered and sparkled with a mysterious darkness that reflected the light. A thin blue haze shimmered around the tower, blurring its boundaries ; like in there were happening things beyond reality. I really wanted to hear what was going on in there: my sensitive ears immediately adjusted and soon I could hear what was happening like miles away: the sounds were soft, like a few buzzing bees, and I listened to what I think it was some human voices; it was a strange sound, like they were reciting incantations. I stopped listening, and the facts literally fell on me : where was I ?

Of course, with my luck, I couldn't stay there and ponder on my questions: a dark, lanky figure ran into me and we both fell on the ground. The collision sent me flying backwards, but, given the fact that I was a ballet dancer and my father, who was a soldier , taught me how to recover from a knockback in a fight, I was quite agile and back on my feet in no time. The figure - who I gathered that it was a boy – scrambled back onto his feet and , while glaring angrily at me, raced off like he was determined not to deter from his journey. My confusion was replaced with anger: he ran into me and then glared at me ?

While thinking of that , I began to walk away from the alley. I wanted to have an idea of the place I " arrived " in . Soon , I realized that this must have been a rush hour . People were packed in the broad avenue like sardines in a tin box . I was pushed from here to there against my will , and from the small alley, I got carried to a completely different place . In front of me there were some buildings built of pale , worn stone . They looked like some kind of shops , and one had its windows stacked so high with papers that it was impossible to see inside . And the persons coming out just then were the strangest duo I had ever seen . There was one tall boy with curly , uncombed , straw - colored hair and brilliant green eyes and a shorter girl with violet eyes and dark , straight hair with a golden circlet keeping it in place . The boy wore some green , dusty robes and the girl had a simple red tunic edged with gold and tied with a gold sash .

" … Sep , you spend far too much time cooped up in that smelly old Tower , if you ask me . Marcia has to give you more days off . " said the girl .

"Jen , you know I can't . I'm behind my work, and I still have to work on my **Projections**. I'm afraid I can't come to visit aunt Zelda with you this time…. " . Their conversation stopped suddenly when the boy fixed his glance on me.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jen and I were just walking out of the Manuscriptorium and we were having a heated conversation .

" Sep , aunt Zelda sent a message to me yesterday . She said she has a pressing matter to discuss with both of us . You have to ask Marcia for a day off and come with me . "Jen pleaded.

" I'm sorry Jen , but I can't . I have a lot of work to do . And if she sent you a message , then it can wait . If it was that urgent , she would have came to tell you personally . And you know how aunt Zelda exaggerates sometimes … "

I was really stressed out with my work lately .I wanted to go with Jen , but Marcia assigned me a truckload of work to do , and , as the ExtraOrdinary Appretince , I couldn't disappoint her .

" But she sounded really worried . Maybe something bad happened and she needs you to help her ! And besides , Sep, you spend far too much time cooped up in that smelly old Tower , if you ask me . Marcia has to give you more days off ."

"Jen , you know I can't. I'm behind my work , and I still have to work on my **Projections **. I'm afraid I can't come to visit aunt Zelda with you this time…." . Just as I was apologizing , I saw a very strange girl standing right in front of us and staring into my eyes : she had some odd clothes , a pink tight shirt with a frilly skirt that had multiple layers . She had some peculiar shoes that were tied up with ribbons and a fluffy material wrapped around her calfs . She had piercing baby blue eyes and curly , golden blonde hair tied up in a bun at the nape of her neck . But that wasn't the strangest thing at her : she had an unusual aura , like it was **Darke** and pure at the same time . Against my will , I approached her quickly and asked :

"Who are you?"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ...

The boy started to approach me with an intrigued look on his face ; I frowned . What did he want from me ?

"Who are you? " he asked me.

I prepared myself to give an answer that would get him to leave me alone and think I was just a person who was passing by , but ,the moment I opened my mouth , the stupidest thing came out :

"I'm….no one ! " . I felt like facepalming myself . I opened my mouth to correct my statement , but of course , my body wasn't going to just listen to me , it acted on his own .

So I ran so fast I could swear I left a dust trail behind me .


	3. Under Pressure

After making a lot of turns my body finally decided to let me take the reins again . I sighed . Maybe he would just forget this embarassing incident and we would hopefully never cross paths again . We will live long , parallel lives and maybe , on his wedding day , he would remember that , when he was a teenager , a silly girl ran away from his for no reason and all his relatives will laugh at this memory along with him ... I facepalmed . But why did my body react this way ?

While several possible answers to that question passed through my mind , a horrible feeling , one I've never felt in a long time , crept inside my soul : what if he suspected what I am ? Maybe my subconscious felt that danger coming and reacted before I could analyze the situation properly . I shook my head .

No , that's not possible . How could he ? He was just a human : they can't know what you are unless they are unfortunate enough to be chosen as a prey :then , they wish they never knew what you are .

But his aura was so …peculiar . First ,it made me very uncomfortable ,like he was using up all the oxygen around ,leaving me without enough air to fill my lungs . Then ,as I got used to it ,I began to feel the huge energy he was emanating : like a power station overflowing with electricity .I must admit ,it made me very curious about what kind of powers could this boy possess ,but not curious enough to go too close to him .Truthfully , I was a very young vampire . I wasn't very good at concealing my nature ( yet ) and an experienced aura reader could probably feel its dark edges . If he could truly see my shadowy aspects then he was a threat . No matter how good people are , when they learn that your life source is blood , their first urge is to wipe you off the surface of Earth .

One thing I knew for sure : he wasn't a vampire . His scent was human , no doubt about it . So what abilities did he have ? I remember that my maker told me stories about other supernatural creatures , but very different from vampires : they were called " witches " and they were thought to have great powers , like clairvoyance ,elemental control , telekinesis , but , due the lack of proof , I didn't believe that they actually existed … until now .

The more I thought about this , the more it seemed like it : maybe he could be a witch … err … wizard . Anyway , I didn't have a better explanation .

While walking down the broad avenue ,which I couldn't help but notice that was made from huge white limestone slabs ( yeah , I like architecture , so what ?), I suddenly got distracted by my surroundings .

There were squat buildings everywhere , and this town sure had a lot of inhabitants . I was amazed by the clutter and the variation between people : some were dressed in bright cloaks ,standing out in the crowd and some had a rather modest apparel with a rustic aspect . I knew in which group I belonged , wearing my dance attire , but nobody seemed to mind me . Not that anyone could see something in that crowd . It wasn't enough space to drop a needle , let alone actually _notice_ a person , no matter how strange it might be . I turned my head and saw something rather shocking : the boy was standing right behind me . Fortunately , he could be noticed very easily ; with his bright green tunic he was equally obvious as a big splotch of red paint on a white background . I took off immediately , deciding to listen to my instincts and keep away from him ,running inside one of the buildings , hoping that he didn't see me . I went upstairs and looked at the doors . I passed by one that said : " Perfect pamphlet printers " , followed by a green door with flowers that said " Wizard Sandwiches - Open from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m. " ; I stumbled inside the latter , looked around and calmed myself down . I searched around the café ,trying to find another escape route , only to bump again into the boy ! He was sitting at a table ,looking in a menu like he arrived a while before me and was there just to have lunch . How did he get here so fast ? Maybe he truly was a wizard , but there was also the possibility that outside there was another scruffy looking boy , with green robes and brilliant green eyes that had nothing to do with me .On second thought ,that could hardly be possible . Unfortunately , I couldn't just sit here and think , because after I made my " great entrance " , everyone turned their attention on me . I didn't stay any longer to see what would happen next – I dashed towards the door , bumping into some people who were just trying to get inside , now protesting angrily at my apparent indifference . I climbed another set of stairs and found a small library . This could be the perfect place to hide for a while . I went inside , trying to ignore the people shushing me as I opened the creaking door . I hid behind a bookshelf , pretending to be interested in a rather plain gardening book when someone tapped me on my shoulder and spoke :

" Excuse me ,can you please move a bit to the left -I need a book from this shelf ."

Ok ,this was too much .As you probably already suspect ,the person was nobody else but the boy , looking at me with an amused glint in his green eyes . I was scandalized by the situation I just got dragged in . And on top of everything , I was surrounded by shelves and the boy was pretty much blocking my only way out .

Out of the blue , he started to laugh , surprising me and annoying the readers ,who shushed again . My – I want to escape – feeling disappeared in an instant ,being replaced by confusion . I decided to act like I haven't been running away from him like my life depended on it all day long :

" Why are you laughing ? " .

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … .. .. … … … … …

'Why are you laughing ? " the girl asked . This situation was very amusing .I didn't intend to make it this way , but nobody can control the outcome of every action they take .

I stopped laughing and looked straight into her eyes .

"Sorry I have been following you all day ,I didn't want to scare you . I just wanted to make sure you're alright , since you ran away like that . " . That wasn't entirely true , since I followed her to see what's going on with the **Darke **around her . It was very subtle , but it was still there .

She scoffed , looking at me with an annoyed expression .

" You didn't scare me . "

"Then why have you been avoiding me like that ? " I said with a teasing undertone .

She parted her lips , paused for a moment , and regained her briskness shortly :

" I had ... things to do ."

" Sure , things that are so urgent that you have to run from place to place and do nothing while you're there ? What are they : go to the sandwich shop and take a look , then race to the library and read a book upside down ? " I was trying so hard to keep myself from laughing , but small snorts escaped every now and then . She was trying to keep herself from smiling , so I guess she found this as amusing as I did .

" Stop laughing ! It's not funny ! " . But we both started laughing uncontrollably , ignoring the offended readers who kept shhing at ourselves , until the librarian kicked us out .

We stumbled out like two drunkards and collapsed on a bench .

" Oh my God , did you see her face ? That woman looked like she was gong to expire on the spot ! " she said , wiping her tears with the back of her hands .

" That wasn't nearly half as funny as that guy who was frowning at us like a constipated buffalo ! " I said , trying hard to straighten myself up .

" Mhhm , he surely was ! " . Then she looked into my eyes , and I noticed that she was really beautiful , something I missed earlier , when I followed her . Her cerulean pools were drawing me in , and I began to slowly close the distance between us ... until I snapped out of it . What was I doing ?! I just met her a few minutes ago , and I was already jumping to this ?

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ..

I think the funny moment we just shared kind of clouded my judgment , because I could swear he was trying to kiss me earlier . I looked at the opposite direction , trying to clear my head . I was right , his aura was like an electric field , sending chills up and down my spine , but in a very pleasant way .I looked again in his emerald eyes : they shone like they were magical . He was running a hand through his hair ; he was probably unsettled by what was about to happen earlier .

" Now that's what I call a good laugh . Sorry about earlier , I ... lied to you . I really don't know what came upon me , running like that . I'm Rossamund ." I said , extending my hand . He took it almost immediately .

" Septimus ,nice to meet you ."


	4. Author's Note

Hi everybody ! As you notice , I'm currently rewriting this story , and it should be reposted as soon as I can , but I have a truckload of exams coming up , so I can't tell you the exact date . But no , I'm not abandoning it , just giving it a new touch . In the last reviews , someone gave me some interesting ideas which happened to be my orignal ideas that I abandoned in favor to some others , but as I was rereading the story , I realized this wasn't what I wanted . So , stay tuned for more romance , less depression !


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